Feb 1970. HP Math Drill and Practice

My first assignment was converting the elementary mathematics curriculum developed at Stanford by Professor Patrick Suppes to be presented to students by computer: so-called "Computer Aided Instruction."  The curriculum covered the four basic mathematical skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) for grades 1 through six.  The computer could interact with 32 students at a time, presenting problems through a teletype, one for each student: for example: "What is 4 + 5?"  If the student types the correct answer, the computer presents another problem; if not, the computer types "Wrong, try again", and presents the problem again.  If the student misses a second time, the computer types "Wrong, the answer is 9.  Try again."  If the student misses a third time, the computer moves on to a new problem.  No criticisms, no disparaging comments, and no one else knows you missed it.

The computer keeps track of each student's progress.  When a student misses a problem, the computer automatically presents equivalent problems later on, as review.  Students with fewer misses advance more rapidly in the curriculum.  The computer provides summary reports for reachers on each student's progress - but I don't think any of the teachers looked at them.  Insteadf, it gave them a chance to relax while the computer did all the work.  When a new installation was set up in a school, I would give a talk to the teachers, emphasizing it was totally automatic, and did not require any involvement on their part.  They liked that.

Our first installation of  the "Hewlett Packard Drill and Practice Program for Grades 1 through 6" was in Willow Oaks Elementary School in East Menlo Park.  The student population was (and still is) 99% black.  In preparation for the students' first session, I entered, for each one, their name and a four digit ID number.  When they arrived for their first session, each was handed a card with their ID number.  Then, taking a seat in front of any of the 32 teletypes, they were told to type in their number.  When they did so, their teletype responded with "Is your name ...?" followed by the student's name.  That was a show stopper.  "Hey, how does it know my name?"  "Did it type your name too?"  Pandemonium.  When they then typed "Y", the computer responded with "Hello <name>", and typed the first problem to be solved.  They were off and running.  

32 Excited students in front of 32 noisy teletypes, typing away, kicking the teletypes' sheet metal supports, shouting and laughing, no teachers, no public criticism or praise - education at its finest.  At the end of each half hour session, the students would tear off the printed results of their work and compare their lengths: the longer, the better.  (I didn't explain that actually the shorter the better: these students missed fewer questions, so the computer had to reprint less).

The trial system at Willow Oaks was a rousing success.  HP expanded the program to other disadvantaged schools, including one in Watts, Los Angeles, thanks to some grant money from President Johnson's War on Poverty.  Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard even came by to remark how they were pleased that the company had gotten in to the educational market, and urged us to continue.

1971 HP Edit 2/3000 Pocket Guide

Edit2/3000 was my second project, an editor for creating, editing, and printing documents.  It was command oriented, and quite powerful.  However, this was before the advent of WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors, so its future was limited.

February 1971:  HP Journal Math Drill and Practice

1976 "Dirt" BASIC program